Bring Back The Apocalypse
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Is death truly the end? The final judgement? The end of days? When that great black abyss yawns wide for those who have perished in battle their fate shall always be...unexpected. Especially for these two shinobi. NarutoxTayuya Fluff. Bleach Crossover.
1. Bring Back The Apocalypse: Reunion

**_A/N: Meh, what can I say? I was challenged. _**

**_Bring Back the Apocalypse I_**

Without a dreadful cry, the clouds unleashed the wrath of heaven.

Freed from their constraints, the winds howled; screaming their defiance to heaven as they were loosed upon the world. Heaven answered with a flash of light so brilliant in its intensity, that the winds were quelled, just for a moment. But only for a moment. As the world lay blinded by the lightning, as it was still recovering, the winds retaliated. Without any precursor or forewarning, an almighty burst of a cantankerous _crrrraaaaccccckkk_ spread across the clouds and split the sky; the deafening peal of thunder so intense, so bone-jarring that it shook the very ground. Any living creature within twenty miles or more was stricken blind and deaf in the same instant; subsuquently bringng spirits, animals, and hollows alike, _to their knees._

For miles and miles around, the sound of a scream could be heard; the gut wrenching pressure-filled sob, reigning over the forest tonight. Just as it had every night. Those who were foolish enough to approach, were quashed like cockroaches. _Anything_ that entered the unmoving vortex was instantly erased from existence, whether they be man, woman or beast. Roused by the spectacular spectacle in the distance, crowds had gathered to witness the recurring oditity that had plagued the Seireitei for nearly a week now.

Wild and indiscriminate, the reiatsu was deafening. Strangling the sound from the storm itself. Sapping the blackness from the clouds; weakening the jagged violet-white flahes of light; morphing them into something infinitely more hideous, a sinister reddish gold that instantaneously orchestrated the birth of a different color altogether. Born from this sacred union of scarlet and saffron, the coloration was indefatigably bright as it was unique.

Orange was forged _and_ orange flashed between the clouds; gradually replacing the lightning altogether. Bristling heat crackled upward at the already humid air, demanding a prompt reply; a response of some sort as it hissed and spat and snarled at the air in unruly streaks of jagged reaitsu and reiryoku.

And the rain answered.

The flood waters charged through the narrow gorge, eroding the lay of the land. None were prepared and only a seldom few spared. All who were foolish enough to be caught in the path of the storm however, were systematically wiped from the face of the earth and swept downstream. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. No escape to be found from this willfull wrath descended upon the wilderness of Rukon; an inexhaustable plauge ravaging all who dared to challenge its supremacy.

Save for two shinigami.

Stark and white against the storm, their haori remained unflustered, their shihakusho dry, and their faces calm as they gazed into the pouring rain; safe behind the walls and roof of the outpost. These men were men of greatness. The very mention of their names were steeped in legend, filled with tales of glory and honor befitting two men of such stature. And yet, were you to meet these men alone and face to face, you might think them old; veterans, long since past their prime.

"So this is what Yamamoto-sensei was talking about," the first, a thin, gaunt looking man began. "Has it really been a week since that storm started?"

"Just about." Someone answered, turning a bottle right-side up and then upside down when no liquid was produced. "I swear, Retsu's never gonna let me hear the end of this if we find another ryoka at the center of _this_ racket out there." Nonchalant sigh, he set down the empty bottle and grasped for another; discarding the first. It clattered across the floor, spinning wildly before finaly joining the small pile of its bretheren and landed with a small clack.

Drooping, thin fingers closed upon something, followed by laughter when the man realized that _this_ bottle still held sake within. Giddy like a child at christmas, he pressed the bottle to his lips and took a long, hard swig of the liquid. Exhaling heavily as the burning fluids coursed down his throat and warmed his belly, he adjusted his hat and peered across the room at his stone-faced companion, the latter having politely declined his offer of drink.

"Say," He drawled cheerily, "That other one...she was a redhead, right? A foul-mouthed little thing too, neh, Jushirou?"

Jushirou cringed.

"I don't seem to recall her creating a storm of such magnitude."

That earned him a laugh.

"You know...that redhead _was_ pretty cute...

"Kyoraku!" His companion admonished. "Don't say such things!"

_"Kidding!_ I was just kidding." Came the response, as a ridiculously pink and flowery kimono draped shifted against a pair of broad shoulders; shoulders that were was all too quick to raise their hand in surrender when they glared pale white daggers at him. "You know, you need to relax once and awhile Jushirou...

He was one of the most infamous men in all of Soul Society, and you could tell, just by looking at him. Blessed with rugged goods looks, he was a charming man with kindly brown eyes, and an absurd getup that often earned him much ridicule amongst his peers. Rugged good looks aside, he was currently shit-faced-drunk. holding an empty dish of sake in one hand, and an half-empty bottle in the other. Gazing at the dish mournfully, he downed the last of its contents, and took a long, slow draught of his drink. When he'd finished, the bottle tilted back for a final time, pressed to his lips in one last attempt to extract that very last drop of alchohol, as though the sake would somehow see him through the night and the incredible storm raging outside.

The man known simply as "Jushirou", exhaled heavily, unable to maintain his frustration..

"I'll relax after tonight." The pallid shinigami assented. "Once this is over."

He was a frail looking fellow, nondescript, save for a strikingly unusual feature. His hair was white. Not old man salt-and-pepper white but a snow-white that struck a sharp contrast against a face that showed a man in his prime, handsome, with smooth skin, and features chiseled from a military life. Initially, Kyoraku had feared for his friend when he'd been assigned to "investigate" the source of the storm, but thus far, Jushirou was faring remarkably well under the constant weight of the reaitsu.

"So you're going, then?" Kyoraku inquired, his cheeks dimpling in concern. "Are you sure you don't want my help?" During the last days of observe-and-report, his friend had complained that his vision was either all in wild colors or black and white whenever he entered the deadened wood, but that seemed to have cleared.

Hopefully.

"I am." Ukitake was already belting on his zanpakuto, Sogyo no Kotowari's prescence filling him with comfort. "If its a hollow, then I shouldn't be long." His tone brooked no argument; nor did it permit discussion. "And if it isn't, well...who knows? I've just the strangest feeling about this reaitsu." His steely expression advised against further prodding, and Kyoraku ruthlessly suppressed his gorge at the thought of losing his friend. This wasn't some lowly menos grande or gillian or even an adjuchas at work here; the reaitsu was simply too immense.

"Alright, and what if it isn't?" Kyoraku challenged, regretting the words the instant he'd spoken them. "What if you're wrong, Jushirou?" _Well, that fucked things up_. But it was too late to take the words back, so, like any good soldier he pushed. "What if that little friendly spirit of yours is too much for you to handle?" Judging by Jushirou's expression, Kyoraku knew he was grasping at straws. He knew it was rubbish, that a vasto lorde would have ever infiltrated the seireitei, but then again, he'd never thought Lisa-chan would up and vanish in the middle of the night either.

Look how _that_ turned out.

But the worst part was that no one blamed him for sending her out that night. He'd told her to go, and she'd gone. Gone, and never come back. Now, a snake coiled in his gut, a snake of losing a friend he'd known for several centuries, a snake of losing someone important, someone he feared he'd never get back if they went out this night. He couldn't handle losing Jushirou, knowing that he'd let his friend walk into the storm and whatever ghoulish fiend might be waiting for him there.

"I'm willking to take that risk." Jushirou didn't condemn him for his childhish behaviour; because_-damnit-_he was smiling that smile again. Kyoraku resisted the urge to sulk. "Besides, you know as well as I do that it would much more difficult to mask our reaitsu if we went together." He gestured to the battered little shack they'd taken up residence in for the time being. "My abilities are better suited for an enemy like this, if its even an enemy at all."

"Mah, what makes you so sure its not just some hollow playing possum?" Shunsui pouted, silently wishing that lieutenant Kaien had come with them tonight; knowing that man was better suited when it came to convincing his captain of practical matters. Hell, he might've been able to talke Jushirou down from this insane idea! It was absurd, to think that there was actually a human soul hiding within those branches, and not some wayward hollow having escaped from Hueco Muendo!

_Absurd!_

For nearly a week now and every night since, this storm had materialized. Now Jushirou wanted to step out into hell itself and risk his life, all on a hunch? Glowering at his friend, Kyoraku stabbed both hands into his sleeves and kept them there, arms folded, pretending to take interest in the sparse and undecorated room. Their outpost was one that had been used, and recently, too. Manned by the twelfth division, having recorded the reaitsu of such magnitude that it simply could not be measured.

Wary of another incident similair to the one involving the loss of several captains and their lieutenants, Kyoraku and Jushirou had been dispatched to monitor the threat. Yama-jii hadn't said a damned thing about confronting it directly.

Which, apparently, Jushirou was willing to risk.

Naturally, after weathering the storm for more than a week, he wanted nothing more than to return to the warm and cozy bed waiting for him_-as was Nanao-chan-_at home, rather than watch his friend twist and turn at the brass knob that would ultimately expose him to the elements and the massive reaitsu. With a viscious gust of wind, the door flung itself open and warm rain spilled inside as

But Shunsui Kyoraku just couldn't bring himself to stop Ukitake. I've the strangest feeling about this night, this time."

"I've got a good feeling about this, this time." Jushirou beamed; and suddenly Kyoraku's linger doubts were assauged. "Trust me on this one, Kyoraku." The door clicked shut; because Jushirou simply wasn't there anymore; departing within a whisper of shunpo.

Leaving his friend to protest in silence.

With a whisper of shunpo, Ukitake was gone, leaving his friend to linger in that silence.

"Impossible," he hissed as he looked around in the darkness. "No way. No _way._"

Leaving his companion within the safety of their shelter, Ukitake leapt forward again, his sandals splashing through the mud as he sprinted into the heat of the storm, flying freely as he crossed from a open plain and flung himself into the forest. He could hardly see through the blackness, the rainwater dripping from his bangs furthering his inability to see. He jumped up into upper branches, lurching toward the sky to get a better view, barely avoiding a swipe from a hollow that had been behind him.

_Impossible._

Ukitakte rounded, blasting the beast with a nameless kidou fired from the center of a clenched palm. With a keening shriek, it faded, withering from the ground up as the shot of fire and flame smashed through its mask and freed the souls trapped within.

Ukitake slid to an abrupt halt, watching as the severed creature dissipated into nothingness. The forest canopy was nearly as dense as the opaque rainclouds above, but in the very faint light he could make out the shape of his fallen enemy as it disintegrated—it wasn't an ordinary Hollow. It was an _Adjuchas._

"As I thought. This reaitsu is attracting hollows...

Below him, lay a scene of chaos as the elements lashed out against the forest.

Men, women, children, even the occasional hollow, entire ecosystems were washed away in an instant; and swept away without a trace. because nature was not bound by such trivial feelings called guilt or sorrow or anger. Indiscriminate in its destruction, the flood surged through, then over the riverbed, surpassing its limits and exceeding its boundaries. And yet the white-haired individual was left unharmed, effortlessly traversing this minefield of water wind and lightning.

"What kind of being could posses such reiatsu...

With the deadly snap-hiss for which it was so well known, lightning descended from on high. With a deafening roar, white light blasted downwards and plowed into the soil, gouging out huge chunks of mud and muck as it swept past and raged across the ground. Intense reverberations, the thunder, shook the sky above, leaving its brother to dance upon the earth for but a moment longer, sweeping through the trees and forests with glee, shredding the earth to the point on no return.

_'Such sinister spiritual pressure..._

Sand blew up and out beneath its feet, blanketing the surrounding structures and the sole spectator that traversed them with awe and amazement. Hundreds upon hundreds of droplets rained down from the sky, drenching him to the bone and leaving him utterly soaked as an ocean raged on dry land; where there was naught but rain and floodwater to be found. Tightening the drawstring of his straw hat and pulling tight his shihakusho, the man ventured into the forest, toward the heart of this unusual storm.

"Go...away...

Someone whispered.

As he neared, he spied stranges flecks of scarlet and sapphire and saffron amongst the branches. _Fascinating._ As he drew nearer, the colors of red blue and gold mingled with that of violet, birthing the strange and matclhess spiritual pressure as wild as it was uncontrolled; shining through the branches and providing illumination. Something lurked just beyond these branches. Ukitake readied himself for whatever might await him beyond the foliage, and unlocked Sogyo no Kotowari from its sheathe.

He did not draw the zanpakuto, but in times such as these, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Clearing the last bit of brush and shrubbery, the shinigami stepped out from the forest and beheld the strangest of sights. Instead of finding himself in the eye of the storm as he'd suspected, here, at the epicenter of the vortex, the scene was one of utter chaos. River waters ran amok, ebbing and surging, more the latter and lesser the former as they strove against the banks of the river. For just a moment, Ukitake's instincts betrayed him as he saw it; there, upon the flat and polished rock of the soil of what had once been riverbed, a lone individual who had yet to notice him; because he wasn't aware of anything, his reaitsu rough and violent amidst the sudden surging of the tides.

"Go away...

At last he beheld the one responsible for this great cataclysm.

"Please...go away...

Sitting there upon a stone, undisturbed amongst the raging waters, was a _boy._ Blond, whisker marks trippling each cheek, he wore the remnants of a strange garb. Those ruined rags, were they really _orange_ or was it just the storm playing tricks with his mind? Regardless, the lad was a thin, scruffy looking thing; thirteen years of age, if not younger. He sat there upon the stone, a strange and fierce energy deflecting the waters whenever they tried to sweep him from his roost.

He was crying.

Hunched forward, knees tucked into chest, head buried into the crook of an arm, he quivered; because even from here, Ukitake could see the tears spilling from those scrunched eyelids. Sobbing, bent double, the boy gave a strange and wordless cry that sounded something like "leave me alone!" and the lightning danced its maddened dance round and around the waters once more. He clutched at his head and in response, the spiritual pressure roared high in defiance of Ukitake's own, declaring him to be a threat and trying its utmost to eliminate the danger to its host. Jushirou simply raised all of his reaitsu to the fore, careful not to strain himself into another attack of his illness.

"Hello?" Ukitake strained to make himself heard over the storm, but his words were snatched away with the wind, and he was once again made mute. "Are you alright?" When no response was given, when he tried to edge closer, the incredible occured; because a sudden streak of crimson filled his vision. Sogyo no Kotowari came flying free from its sheathe and met the scarlet strike blade for...hand? With a slow blink, Ukitake frowned, silver irises widening behind a shower of sparks.

"Go away...the boy mumbled incoherently. "I...I...j-just go away!"

Cast within a transparent film of energy, taking the shape of a hand, a strange scarlet claw had simply materialized from thin air, seeming to rise from the boy's stomach; the faintest markings of some old inscription just visible within the shadows. But this boy wasn't a hollow. He wasn't even an arrancar, though his spiritual pressure did have...an odd contingency to it. Even as he held the block, the red energies struggled against him; holding steady as they tried to wrest the blade away from him and leave him defenseless.

_"JUST GO AWAY!"_ The boy screamed again! _"LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

Despite himself, Jushirou flinched.

_'Just now...with only his voice...'_

This boy was the cause of the storm.

Every night for the last week, a storm had raged without end on the outer fringes of Rukon, persisting until the rise of the morning sun. None dared to approach it for fear of what might exist at the center of such a storm, and know Ukitake knew why. Whomever this child was, he held incredible power. You'd have to be a fool to come near him. That Ukitake had taken that risk; alone and unaided, spoke volumes of his confidence.

Those colors he'd seen earlier, they were emanating from the boy. He was the one responsible for the storm. _And such reaitsu!_ If he ever learned to control that power, he'd be unstoppable, Ukitake knew such thoughts were folly; because he also knew that they were without falsehood. This unfined reaitsu was already at captain class, and it was responding to the boy's emotions alone. Lightning. Wind. Water. Sound. Would that he knew how to summon his power at will, he'd have a zanpaktou worthy of legend, no, _he would be legendary._

This went leagues beyond Hitsugaya's incidental creation of cold. This boy, this child, was a veritable force of nature. Wild and fierce, uncontrollable and inhuman. Brimming with so much potential and power; torn by such conflict that it tore at Jushirou's heart to see a child be thrust into such a situation.

Exhaling softly, he began to speak.

"I'm not here to hurt you." Ukitake knew better than to shout over the din; lest he provoke the traumatized child any further. "I only have a question for you." Frightened sapphire orbs flew wide open at that; the tear glazed blue looking simultaneously frightened and hopeful at the same time. It sent a lance through his stomach. Jushirou knew nothing of this boy, but evidently, he'd been so terribly traumatized at some point in his young life that he no longer recognized the difference between friend and foe.

Abruptly, the crimson energies retracted.

"A...question?" The boy repeated dumbly. "You mean you're not afraid of me?"

"Not all." Ukitake made a show of sheathing his sword; despite knowing that the boy might lash out at him again. "Would you mind talking to me for a bit?" He waved at the raging apocalypse around them, and the boy seemed to flush as he realized his surroundings. "I'd very much like to know your name, if you would." The boy eyed him dubiously; eyes small and angry, brimming with hatred and distrust that no child should evern know, no matter how many lifetimes they lived.

"Do you know why I'm here?" It was a tiny sound; a broken, desperate whisper. "Ever since those people," The boy paused, swallowing, touching a hand to his collar, as if he felt pain from an unseen wound. "Ever since that day I've been here and no one will come near me." Ukitake arched a silvery brow but remained silent as the overwrought blond brought a fretful gaze to bear upon him, those odd energies still dangling in the air; coiled like vipers, prepared to strike at the slightest provocation.

Jushirou blinked.

"Why...this is the Seireitei, of course."

"Seirei-wha?" The child blinked slowly. "I don't understand. _Why am I here?_ Where's Kakashi-sensei? Where's Sasuke? Where's Sakura-chan" He asked these questions rapidly, forcing Jushirou to raise a hand in protest lest the boy continue to ramble onward.

"I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name." Jushirou shrugged sheepishly.

"Not even Sakura-chan?" The boy pressed, sharp as a whip.

"Sakura...chan?" Ukitake became increasingly puzzled as the blond rattled off a description as if he honestly expected the shinigami to know whomever this 'Sakura-chan' was. Did this child even know he was dead?

"I'm sorry, but When they were all politely declined one by one, inexplicably; the boy's expression changed.

"Who are you?" He asked suddenly. "W-Why are you talking to me like this?"

"I'm Jushirou Ukitakte, Captain of the Thirteenth division." Ukitake felt the boy's reaitsu shift noticeably at the sudden introduction. "I can explain why you're here, but, first, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" Pressed once again for his identity, the blond blinked; his eyes opening and closing within an infinite slowness. A small, shaky smile; a once exuberant grin, greeted Ukitake while the strangest thing happened to the storm.

Momentarily, the storm abated.

"My...name?" the boy asked.

"You do have one, don't you?"

"Of course I have a name!" The boy protested, wounded. "What kind of person doesn't!"

_'An orphan.'_ Jushirou mused, but he refused to let his throughts betray him.

For a time, the boy said nothing.

...Naruto." He supplied at last, scrubbing at his eyes with the back of a hand. "Uzumaki...Naruto."

Ukitake smiled genially.

"Well, its a pleasure to finally meet you, Naruto-kun." Ukitake smiled, and this time, it reached his eyes. "Do you think you can come down from there now?" Looking as though he might, the boy shook his head and burried his face in his arms, panic etched into his face for a second time. Ukitake raised both hands as the child looked on; laying down his sword at his feet, now completely unprotected.

"I'm going to come toward you now." He began slowly. "Naruto-kun. See? I'm unarmed. I'm no threat to you."

"Maybe you haven't noticed mister, but I'm a lot stronger than you seem to think!" The boy wouldn't budge, but he did raise an arm, jabbing a finger toward the northeast. Ukitake followed his gaze, a reather bemused smile adjourning hs features when he found himself staring at that which had been indicated; the ruined mountain destroyed by the previous lightning strike. "See that mountain over there? That wasn't your power... It was mine! If you come near me then I...I...**_I...!"_**

"I hae no dobut," Ukitake's smile never wavered. "That you're strong, Naruto-kun."

The boy's face seemed to brighten a bit at that.

...thanks." he flushed.

"So will you come over here, now?"

Naruto shook his head.

"I...can't."

"Why is that?"

"I might..._kill you by mistake."_ Was the answered mumble, suddenly finding his ruined sandals utterly fascinating. "I can't control my power. It keeps boiling out and it just..._huh?"_ Naruto froze; jerking himself around, his head whipping back and forth like a puppet on a string.

Jushirou Ukitake was headed toward him.

"I said don't come near me!" He hollered. "You'll be killed!"

"I did say was coming toward you." Ukitake ammended politely, unfazed by the sudden return of the storm and the deafening spiritual pressure.

"You said...you'd tell me where this place was!" Naruto argued, eyes hardening as the captain took a long step toward him. "N-No! Wait! Stop! What're you doing!" His eyes had flown wide and large; unable to understand why the shinigami insisted on approaching him so suddenly. "D-Don't come near me!" He begged, his eyes inexplicably welling up with tears again. "You'll die! Just like everyone else! Everyone who comes near me drops dead and I can't do anything about that!"

He flung both arms up as the captain crossed the riverbed with a swift and implacable stride.

"NO!" He wailed aloud, scrunching his eyes shut.

A hand patted his head.

"You know, you remind me of Toshirou-kun."

Naruto blinked, unfrozen by the sight before him; because Jushirou was ruffling his hair and smiling. Without warning, a sudden pressure ten times more focused than his own, quashed the storm and took all his strength away in an instant; slamming him to his knees, despite the storm screeching around them. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. He was made mute by the abrupt lack of oxygen, a feeling so terrifying that it took his very breath away.

Naruto was left breathless.

"W-What the hell was that?" He choked aloud, choking as the air came back to his lungs. "Just now...

"That was my _reaitsu."_ Ukitake wasn't flustered in the least; still smiling to cover his own concern. "Most shinigami have it, but yours, well, yours is a bit rough around the edges." A bit? More like it was completely blunted; a bludgeon meant simply for smashing its enemies into oblivion. Granted, Naruto knew none of that-_or just how close he'd come to being overwhelmed himself-_ and Jushirou meant to make sure it stayed as such.

"Naruto-kun, have you ever thought about becoming a shinigami?"

"Is it any different than a Hokage?" Naruto sniffled, scrubbing at an eye.

_'Hokage?'_

Jushirou quirked an eyebrow.

What in Kami's name was a Hokage?

"Ahaha...perhaps I'd best explain what exactly a shinigami, a "Death God" reall is." He offered. "First, you see, all spirits in this realm, humans, ryoka, pluses, shinigami, are all dead." Naruto's brief but bright flicker of light crumpled; vanishing from his eyes in that instant. Jushirou watched the wires cross inside the boy's brain, resulting in the bitter realization that something must've happened to him and brought about and inevitable end that wasn't quite what he'd thought.

_"I'm dead?"_ Naruto squeaked; unable to breathe. "B-But I can't be dead!"

"Yeah well, you are." Annoyed and pitched in a way that he'd never forget; Naruto recognized the voice at once. "So get the fuck used to it, dipshit!" He felt his ear twitch. He twisted, craning his neck around in an effort to see whomever had spoken before Ukitake had the chance to silence him.

Granted, Naruto's reaitsu was an exception to most standards...

As if on cue, he heard the blond erupt in sputters of outrage.

"You no-good comrade stealing _thief!_" Naruto shouted, jumping up from his stone, and performing a full leap in an instant. Abruptly, he was gone from the river and standing on the hill Ukitake had just vacated, leering at the one who had spoken, and oh, they leered right back at him.

"Me!" She snapped, too shocked at his reaction to do much more than gape. "Who the fuck do you think you are, calling me that!"

"Oh, and I have every right!" Naruto snarled, pointing a finger in the girl's face as she seethed down at him. "You and all those other bastards kidnapped Sasuke in the first place!" he added angrily, as if that made it even more contemptible.

She bit his finger.

Hard.

"YOW!" Naruto yelped, abruptly retracting his hand.

Ukitake frowned.

"I...take it you know each other?"

"I wish I didn't!" Naruto corrected.

He'd never forget that ugly 'ol cap of hers! Only, she wasn't wearing it anymore. She scowled at him, and he scowled right back, brown refusing to yield to sapphire. Unlike the ragged rags of his ruined jumpsuit, she'd had her hideous outfit removed altogether, and replaced by a simple white shihakusho and robe; a stark contrast to the manacles slapped across her wrists. Naruto saw her and didn't see her; because he was still struggling the death of his ideal and another, even more bitter realization.

_He was dead._

"So you came after all, Kyoraku." Ukitake sweatdropped. "Impeccable timing as always."

"Ah...I was beginning to get worried...

Naruto didn't hear anything beyond that point.

Naruto was glowering at her with a look of intense disbelief. He didn't even see the man restraining the redhead, or his easy smile, or hear his reply. Naruto wasn't having any of that because she was smirking; cockingher head and peering at him through hooded eyes. "Isn't he a little emo for your tastes?" she asked brazenly, deliberately seeking to provoke the blond and incense him even further, proving to be a remarkable success.

"What the hell was that-

Naruto's shout of protest was ignored with a wave of the girl's hand. "I just kept good talent from going to waste," She replied casually, picking at her teeth with the dango stick. "You shouldn't have let us take him in the first place, ass-wipe. Are you normally too soft-hearted to defend yourself from your own ally when he tries to kill you?" she asked curiously.

"You...!"

Naruto was red in the face, fists clenched, and emitting more than a small amount of killing intent. Ukitake was about to say something to stop the boy when he watched Naruto visibly gather himself up, opening his fists and closing his eyes until his complexion was back to normal. When he opened his eyes again, their normal blue tint seemed more like winter ice than summer skies. Ukitake and Kyoraku exchanged a bemused glance as the temeperature dropped noticeably.

"Well, at least I didn't get myself crushed by a tree." He answered in an icy tone.

It sent a lance through her stomach.

"What the fuck?" She hissed; heel arcing out seconds after the fact. "Wanna say that again?"

Naruto didn't answer of course; he was already too busy groaning and rolling round and around in pain. Both captains simultaneously winced as another electric blur of the heel sent the blond into the blissful slumber he deserved for such a brutal remark. Apparently, that week in the Maggot's Nest had done little to ebb her physical prowess in the slightest; because Naruto wasn't moving at all after the second blow; in fact, he was dreadfully pale.

"Oi...Kyoraku began weakly. "Is he...

Jushirou sighed.

"Well...I suppose we should take himt to the infirmary, then...

And that, was how Uzumaki Naruto was officially reintroduced to Tayuya.

**A/N: Gah! No more challenges! I hope you all liked this one, I just needed to write something warm and amusing considering the grim news I've received regarding my health. Be nice please, I wrote this for all of you solely to entertain, so I am sorry if I offended any of the fans or canon readers.**


	2. Gravitation

**_A/N: Sorry if this is so short! My health is beginning to improve again, and as a result, I am able to write chapters. Also, this chapter is short for a reason. As of this chapter, we will be entering into a years timeskip now that Tayuya's and Naruto's fate has been sealed. We'll catch up with the characters of the Naruto-verse, and of course, the Bleach-verse. And REMEMBER, the flow of time is very much different in Soul Society than it is in the human world!_**

**_Gravitation_**

Soi Fon was not pleased.

Roused from her bed in the middle of the night, she'd been bid to be dressed and meet Unohana in the medical ward. Now, she stomped her feet against the hardwood floor of the fourth division, determined to drive the warmth back into her soles as she hurried after her senpai. A harsh storm was still raging outside; howling in furious protest to the man-made walls that obstructed its wrath.

"This way, captain Soi Fon." Ahead of her, Unohanna eased open the door to her office. Suddenly wary, Soi Fon followed. Someone was up ahead. She recognized at once the stoic reiatsu of captains' Kyoraku and Ukitake, but at the same time, there were two unidentified beings. One was marginally strong. The other individual, well the other could only be described as some sort of _pressure._ Its very existence warped gravity and forced the earth beneath her feet to bow in subservience. And it was only growing stronger as they neared their destination.

Soi Fon found herself beginning to scowl.

She was beginning to regret leaving Suzumebachi in the barracks.

...no need to be afraid, Naruto-kun." She entered amidst the tail end of a conversation; Ukitake-taichou was doing his level best-which meant that he was faring rather well-to assauge a young boy who looked like he had only just entered puberty. His blond hair was rough and matted in places, his clothes reduced to little more than orange and blue rags_-kami who wore such outlandish colors-_and he kept glancing to his companion with such venom that suggested she was anything but.

Soi Fon immediately recognized her as the one they'd imprisoned in the maggot's nest only just last week. Much like the blond, she too was disheveled_-and in desperate need of a shower-_dark smudges coloring the corners of her eyes, leaving those hazel-colored orbs little more than twin specks against an otherwise filthy face. Her time in captivity had done little to quell the fire in those eyes however; it was to a face full of spite that Soi Fon entered.

"BITCH!" Tayuya shrieked! "What the fuck is she doing here!" She turned a demanding leer upon Jushirou Ukitake, as if she personally held the man responsible for Soi Fon's sudden and unexepected arrival. Strange. Most inhabitatns of the Maggot's Nest lost that fire within the first day. Tayuya, if anything, seemed to have only grown stronger in the abscence of daylight, and apparently she was no worse off for the lack of it.

"Now now, there's no need to shout...

"THE FUCK THERE ISN'T!" Tayuya snapped back at Ukitake! "Get her out! GET THAT FUCKING SLUNT OUT OF HERE _**RIGHT FUCKING NOW!"**_

The blond boy cringed aside from his companion's sudden outburst and it took all of Soifon's considerable resolve not to strike him. Instead, she swallowed, choking down the bitter words and bile she had intended to fling at the lad for daring to intrude upon her slumber. She brought the full weight of her reaitsu to bear therefore; effectively taking Tayuya's words and tossing them back in her face.

"Captain Ukitake," She began at length, "Why am I here, exactly?"

"Ah, Soi Fon-san!" Kyoraku abruptly intruded to her left_-cripes how did he do that_-eliciting a small smile from the as of yet silent Unohanna. Retsu, in fact, had yet to say so much as a single syllable since they'd entered the abandoned ward. Now, as Soifon both remembered_-and chastised herself for forgetting-_her senpai, she began to truly see that Unohanna Retsu was a woman of many talents.

Within the brief span of inattention, she'd significantly improved upon the boy's mood. He was smiling now, his eyes still hidden beneath a shaggy curtain of greasy platinum blond, but there was simply no denying the return of color to his cheeks. Likewise, the boy's reaitsu, once barely a glimmer, now seemed to emanate from every conceivable corner of the room.

Soi Fon couldn't believe her eyes.

_"Him?" _She began, dumbfounded. "This, is the new recruit you promised me?"

Naruto didn't answer; offering no reaction but for a muscle that jumped in his jaw. Soifon creaked an eye open, regarding the sudden swirl of reaitsu through a steel-grey iris and gaze. Cerulean sought steel and found each other; an inexpierienced yout looking into the eyes of seasoned veteran in the art of assasination. Two spiritual beings, strong and infinitely stronger,, staring downstream, with only a thin bubbling of air to separate them.

As if to confirm Retsu's suspicions, Soi Fon caught the boy's gaze. Then she made the mistake of holding it.

An overpowering sensation of pressure bore down upon her like an invisible hand. She sensed something enormous nearby, silent in the dark, like a _gillian_passing within arms reach. A gravid deadly prescence too huge to grant her notice. She glanced to Naruto and saw him grimace, fingertips pressed against his temples. A droplet of blood fell from his nose, and still he did not break the deadlock.

_It's him,_ she thought, amazed. _Even I can feel it._

Mentally, she elevated her initial opinion of the boy one step further. What a strange child this was! First he seemed to be the weakest of the weak; unable to stir the smallest of breezes with his reiryoku. Then, at the slightest provocation, his spiritual pressure exploded! He was untrained, yes, but if this boy had the proper tutelage; if someone had the gall to teach him the necessary restraint...

...the options were limitless.

She imagined conversation and wondered how desperately this boy might desire control over his own power. He seemed to trust Ukitake and Unohanna all but implicitly;which was certainly more than could be said of her. Then again, a child like him might be bored by what could be little more than an exchange of warnings and mutual threats. Why would he have any reason to trust her, a complere and total stranger?

A long silence followed.

The limestone blocks of the ceiling jerked then, like child's toys, and dust showered down. The soundless impact nearly drove Soifon to her knees and popped her eardrums. A similair look of disconcern and disbelief was splattered across Tayuya's face. So it seemed that there was something that could silence the impudent wench after all. _Aha!_ That was it, then! If she could have the both of them...

"Soifon-san." Retsu's voice gently plucked the second division captain from her reverie. "Are you alright?"

"Quite." The gears were already turning in her mind. Call it pride, call it ambition, call it simple curiousity, it didn't matter. For better or worse, Soifon had taken a strange and all too intense interest in this boy. She swore to herself then that she would have this boy join her division, come hell or high water. And if his compliance just so happened to dim the defiant streak of his erstwhile ally, then so much for the better.

"Your name is Uzumaki Naruto, is it not?" Crisp and clear, her voice shattered the silence left by her initital statement. "I take it that you've been the cause of this storm?" The boy cleared his throat. He dabbed a cloth to his nose and pushed back from the table he'd been sitting upon. He stood, adjusted his shoulders_-heedless of the obvious height discrepancy between them-_and scowled.

Well, he earned points for determination at the very least.

"You'd better believe it." He sounded worse than he looked when he spoke. Not quite dead inside, but neither did he exude vibrance of life, either. They were going to have to do something about that. The thought sent a silent thrill through her. It had been a long, long time since she'd last taken on a student. That ignorant dolt Omaeda had turned out to be an abject failure; he, like the rest of her division, wasn't worth her time or consideration.

This boy was another story.

He had spirit, he had fire. He had that self-confident look that all the young ones had; just before they experienced the cold bitter reality of life itself. Such vigor had become increasingly rare as of late. Granted she couldn't just recruit him into her squad straight away; he'd have to go the academy_-perhaps his little redhead friend might as well, provided she didn't throw another tantrum-_but Soifon was already looking past that. Already, she was looking forward to the day when she might instruct this brash brat and foolhardy boy in the ways of the world.

"So, Uzumaki Naruto." She began, surprising everyone_-including herself-_by pulling up a chair. "Tell me about yourself." A deafening peal of thunder rumbled outside. A bolt of lightning split the sky into a thousand pieces. Ukitake looked as though he might protest the sudden turnabout in the behaviour of his fellow captain, but in the end, he smiled.

Because Uzumaki Naruto was all too eager to indulge any who would listen to him.

**A/N: Hope you liked it, neh? Consider this an official prequel before Naruto and Tayuya get booted off to the academy! What will happen to Naruto's world now? Will Akatsuki still attempt to pursue and capture the Kyuubi? Will Madara's plan ever reach fruiton? And what will become of Soul Society and Konoha? Only time-and this story- will tell!**

**Next time: Reconciliation...of a softer sort? Naruto and Tayuya come to terms with one another!**


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